Sorry. This is just too lazy for me.
Then stop looking for deep in a place where is no second deep or whatever.
Its really very simple. Open means an agreement for all interaction, friendly, hostile, neutral, whatever. In this mode you can blaze Your own trial. Or someone else trial may blaze You.
Dont fight with that, do not play it if you do not like it, and let other people to play in a way what they want, with full consequences of interactions.
Someone can be knight in shiny armour and defend weaker players (and there are players of this kind), and some others want to be a psycho. And some other want to feel a bit of dangerous when they hauling his cargo and they accepting the fact they can be killed by NPC or other player.
As i wrote. Open means an acceptance of any interaction. I chosed that way of playing. I am exploring in Open - after few weeks on exporing i am always flying in open and i am returning collected data in open. When someone shoot me and destroy my few week work then i accept that. That was MY choice.
I also traded in Open. Hauled slaves in conda, t9, cutter. One rebuy was ship+ cargo. It was also my choice. If someoe hit me then i will not have a problem with that because that was what? MY CHOICE.
And IF i will support some faction, or PP, then i will destroy enemy players ships with cold blood. No matter how weak or strong they will be. Its also my choice.
There is no matter for me when I am destroying a player ship NPC ship. Both of them are a part of Elite universe for me.